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I had some leftover cabbage that needed to be used and of course the first thing that came to mind was to make a okonomiyaki which is may favorite way to use up extra cabbage. Okonomiyaki is a savoury Japanese style pancake that is made with a batter, shredded cabbage and other grated vegetables. From there you can add meats or whatever else you want. In fact, okonomi translates to "as you like" or "what you want" so the pancakes can differ greatly between cooks. Once the pancake is done cooking it is topped with toppings such as mayonnaise, okonomiyaki sauce (like Worcestershire sauce only thicker and sweeter), katsuobushi (dried, fermented, and smoked skipjack tuna), etc. When you order okonomiyaki at a Japanese restaurant you are often brought the raw ingredients and you cook it yourself on a hot plate at your table. This way you get even more control to cook it "as you like".

When I make okonomiyaki at home I like to add grated seasonal vegetables to the batter such as carrots, pears, apples, sweet potatoes, squash, zucchini, etc. I like to place a couple strips of bacon on top which gets cooked when the pancake is flipped over. When making okonomiyaki I like to make one large pancake rather than making several smaller ones. I use my large non stick pan and when I flip the pancake I flip it onto a large plate, flip it onto another large plate and finally flip it back into the pan. (It sounds a bit complicated but it is much easier than trying flip that large pancake with a spatula.) After it is cooked I like to top it simply with the Japanese mayonnaise and the okonomiyaki sauce. You should be able to find both of these in a locale Asian grocery store. I quite enjoy these large savoury vegetable pancakes and they kind of remind me of large vegetable fritters.

Okonomiyaki (Japanese Pancake)

Japanese "as you like pancakes" are stuffed with vegetables, grilled until golden brown and topped with a tasty sauce along with mayonnaise.

I tell yah Kevin I was looking for a recipe such as this the other day. This is exactly what I had in mind. I wanted something versatile. And this is versatility ten fold. You did a great job decorating this. It looks utterly amazing.

I never made the Japanese version of pancake, but I do love the Korean pancake. They are pretty similar, I think. I have the feeling That I am going to like this as well.Have a wonderful one Kevin.elra

This reminds me of a British dish called "Bubble and Squeak." This is cabbage and other left over vegetables, and anything else you might want to add, fried into a kind of pancake. It doesn't look nearly so glamorous as it's Japanese counterpart but it tastes great. I will have to post about it sometime.

I love okonomiyaki - but I always buy a mix to make the batter with. Real okonomiyaki is made partially with mountain yam powder, which is a weird tuber that smells like fish when raw. It lends a really unique texture to the batter and makes it easy to get the consistency right... you just can't substitute it with anything else. I like throwing some mochi on mine to go with the bacon.

I made it the other night and it turned out great! My old college roommate was from Osaka and she used to make these for us all the time. When we moved out, I found myself craving the pancake (I call it Japanese pizza) and searching the city for it w/ no success. Next time I think I will add small shrimp or squid pieces on top to give it some seafood flavor. Great recipe using ingredients found at local grocery stores.

When I saw this recipe, I had to make it! I love cabbage. I tried something similar, though with different vegetables and a bit more egg in the batter link here and I referenced your post too. It was fabulous.

Zuchinni and carrots eh? Thats a western version of the japanese version!

I've went through many okonomiyaki restaurants in japan, but never seen a carrot and zuchinni one. I will try this, and they idea of grating them is interesting.

Interesting okonomiyakis out there in japan although most are unknown other than the traditional, shrimp, beef, pork, squid outside japan are cheese balls, popcorn kernels (that pop when you cook) just to name a couple.

To add more flavor, add a tablespoon of soy into the water, and/or powdered shrimp (dried tiny sakura shrimps heated on a pan then crushed into powder)and beni shoga strips (red ginger) on your preference.

And my latest one i had mayo mixed with basil sauce.A first on my part. Mmmm try that one.

I had the instant mix version with dried bits of squid in it. A Japanese exchange student made it for us and we loved it. I've never had it since and never knew what it was called.Can't wait to make this!!

I went to Tokyo two weeks ago, and I learned that you can make OCTOPUS BALLS with okonomiyaki flour and an aebleskiver pan. Just a thought - it's practically the same thing, but round and with a chunk of octopus in the middle. I'm gonna give it a try, but I thought you might get a kick out of it too.

Kevin, We made our version tonight. since my sister in law, who is Japanese was in charge, we used pork belly strips, same as bacon but not smoked, etc. We also made a veggie okonomiyaki and used bonito flakes on top. Both were amazing and so great for people that have specialized dietary needs.

Wowzers! I just made mine with sweet ham, roast pork, shrimp and crab surimi with peppers and onions. Holy Socks! I'll totally be making this again! Your plate to plate to pan tip was EXTREMELY helpful! Thanks for sharing this!

My boyfriend and I made this last weekend and let me tell you, Oh my gosh!!! It was so good!!! And easy and healthy (minus the bacon).We made it twice, the second time using up leftover crabmeat. My boyfriend had a hard time flipping it, so he made it into 4 smaller pieces and flipped those.I can't believe I've never even heard of this until now. Thanks for sharing it!

That's looks amazing! I have a friend who travels to Japan twice a year and raves about okonomiyaki and takoyaki. By the way, I've seen a Japanese mayonnaise (looks like a baby bottle) but never brought myself to buy it, do you know if there's any difference between that and the "american" mayo?

My mother was Japanese, so this is the kind of food I consider comfort food. We made our own variation of this due to the limited amount of true Japanese ingredients available when I was younger. Now, there are oriental stores that offer much variety. I had left over cabbage that didn't get used on St. Patrick's Day, so every time I saw that head of cabbage in the fridge, I thought of making Japanese pancakes. I modified a recipe and used a can of crab meat (juice and all) instead of the fish stock. They turned out really tasty. Like I said, comfort food for me!

Having lived in Osaka for awhile, I grew to love okonomiyaki. I like to throw an egg on to the grill while the okonomiyaki is on the plate and then put it on top of the egg. Hard to explain, but the result is quite tasty. I especially like to do the fried egg trick if I don't have any meat to make it more flavorful.

I just made this tonight...delicious! I'm a vego so I skipped the bacon, and I put in sweet potato (aka kumara and also ambiguously called a yam) instead of zucchini. I've eaten okonomiyaki before, and I know how yummy the sauces are, but because I'm trying to avoid filling my fridge with more condiments (there's no room left in the door, put it that way) we topped them with whole egg mayonnaise and smoky bbq sauce...unconventional but very moreish!

(In the ingredients, you list 1 green onion and also chopped green onion at the end - I interpreted this as meaning that the 1 green onion went into the mix, although the instructions don't mention it, and there is extra to garnish at the end. Well, at least, that's what I did and it worked out fine.)

What I like about this recipe is the "what you like" part. Because of this it transcends all borders of cooking and cultures because everyone can make their Okonomiyaki with their own personal touch. Thanks for this recipe. Will definitely try it.

Hello; I absolutely love your blog, and THIS particular recipe got me to give cooking a go.A friend took me to an okonomiyaki restaurant in Kyoto and it was one of my favorite foods during my entire trip to Japan!I can get both sides of the okonomiyaki golden brown, but the inside is still mushy and doughy...any tips? (I'm a novice cook, if you couldn't tell).

Victoria: If you are finding that the inside does not finish cooking you can try making them thinner and or cooking at a lower temperature for longer.

MrsQ: The main difference between the Japanese mayonnaise and North American Mayonnaise is that it commonly uses either rice wine vinegar or cider vinegar rather than distilled vinegar so there is only a minor flavour difference and it is not spicy. My favorite brand is the Kewpie brand that comes in a squeezable bottle so that you can get those nice thin lines as seen in the photo.

Your Okonomiyaki came out just beautiful! This is my absolute favorite Japanese dish, and is very hard to find. I make my own too. I have used a Gluten Free pancake mix called Pamela's for the batter and it turned out great. (Don't forget the egg...) There is a restaurant in San Francisco called Izumiya (in the Japan town Shopping center http://www.sfjapantown.org/ that makes this and it is amazing. If your readers have not made this yet, they MUST! It is really not that hard. I have had Oko parties before where we kind of eat as we cook.

This recipe reminds me of my time at University. I have a friend who spent a year in Japan and came back with this recipe, as students the idea of mixing vegetables with bacon and pancake was something which blew our tiny little minds.

then again, he also came up with the ultimate "morning after the night before" breakfast:

Naan bread, grilled with cheese, bacon and an egg on top. Smothered in either tomato sauce or baked beans. Culinary win.

Very unique recipe!! Just wanted to say that I made and blogged about your Greek Pulled Lamb! It was delicious-- check it out!! (http://food-hound.blogspot.com/2010/12/greek-system-lamb-and-tzatziki.html)

Thanks for posting this recipe. I found it a few weeks ago and we made it at home. Not only is it delicious -- it's becoming one of our standbys when we have odds and ends of vegetables that we need to use. Thanks!

Happy Valentines Day! I made this today for my honey for breakfast. Delicious! I have been wanting to make it since reading the recipe some time ago. Today it was the perfect way to start the day. Mine did not look as beautiful as your photo shows but this is one I will be making often and changing up the ingredients to use what ever we have on hand. Thanks for the inspiration and great "new to me" recipes!

whoa - so surprised to fin this here. i just got back from a trip to japan and we had okonmiyaki twice - once in tokyo and once in hiroshima. did you know that every region has its own versions? the one in tokyo was okay, but in hiroshima they were awesome - buckwheat pancake topped with cabbage and noodles, fillings of choice, egg, sauce, scallions, ginger..... whoa. we went to a 4 story building where every floor was only Okonomiyaki stalls. i took a lot of pictures and described it in a post on my blog under the Japan tag. check it out if your interested

I can't believe how many recipes you write up that contain ingredients that I use regularly. I use cabbage in all kinds of ways, but putting it in a pancake sounds brilliant! I obviously live under a rock, haha.

From the first moment I had okonomiyaki, it was a love hate relationship. I loved the concept, but hated the way it tasted. Through trial and error, I found the perfect combination. I made the pancake as usual, but mixed green onion in and topped it with cheddar along with bacon, the sauces. I also make one with smoked bacon and sweet corn. I reserve the bulk of the bacon for the top, but having a little mixed in it tasty.

I make Swedish pancakes in a variety of ways. Happen to have left over cabbage and the other ingredients as well. I'm going to top the pancake/frittata with rice noodles and some delicious sauce left over from sweet and sour meatballs I had the other day. Garnish with green onion for presentation. Can't wait to see and taste! Thanks for all the ideas, folks!

I make Swedish pancakes in a variety of ways. Happen to have left over cabbage and the other ingredients as well. I'm going to top the pancake/frittata with rice noodles and some delicious sauce left over from sweet and sour meatballs I had the other day. Garnish with green onion for presentation. Can't wait to see and taste! Thanks for all the ideas, folks!

Yum! This sounds amazing! I just posted a recipe about kimchi pancakes that a friend said reminded her of okonomiyaki so I had to check it out! As soon as I can get some great veggies from the farmer's market this is going on the list!

I had an exchange student from Japan stay with us (like 15 years ago) and she made something like this. She wasn't able to tell me what it was called. I finally decided to look up the ingredients. I do believe this is it. I remember it having cabbage and chicken and being a pancake. I kept asking her what do you need to make it and she said kept saying 'anything you like' Very frustrating at the time, but this kind of explains it.

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I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.